Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-05-19

think never saw o better swimmer
than this young man was. thought
could swim pretty well, but he could
beat me as bad as / could him shooting.
We were always at strife to see which
was the best: it made no difference
what one did, the other was sure to
try and do better. well remember
we, in strife, tried to see which could
carry the greatest number of bricks to
the top of the house we were then
building, at one time, on short board
in our hands. We carried forty each
and started to make it fifty, when our
old boss told US to 'stop it; you will kill
yourselves" Those brick were estimat-
ed at five pounds piece. We both
paid dearly for the fun, for I took cold
and it settled in my back and I suffer-
ed for years. His settled in one of his
knees, and he never saw day after
that he did not suffer, more or less,
and sometimes could not walk; and
now when see boys and young men
wasting their strength foolishly, al
ways feel like warning them of the re-
suits; but when the time comes, which
will come to US at some time. when we
are required to put forth our full
strength in some time of distress, then
I love to see young man, or an old
one, lay right hold, buckle right down
to it. until the necessity is passed.
That same spring when the trees
were in full Leaf, and the hills covered
with a carpet of living green, with its
myriads of wild flowers, in all their
varied hues-ah, how lovely the hills
and mountains are at this time of the
year; talk and sing as much as you
please of the life on the ocean wave, a
life on the deep, but give me the life
on the mountains, the wild wood life
for me. On one of those pleasant days
I was just beginning to get dinner.
stood at the table and was making my
soda ready to make some buckwheat
batter-cakes, and heard some one say,
Haven't you got that fine enough?''
I looked up and saw my new sister
and two of my own sisters standing at
the door. You ought to have seen me
acting out the lady of the house and
show them in and remove their things,
and talk of household affairs until they
proposed to walk around the mill and
among the cliffs of rocks, while l got
the dinner. And now do you want to
know what got for my company to
eat that was good? had that morning
washed up all my table-linen, dish
cloths, etc., and every day I secured
up my plates, cups and platters, which
were set of pewter my mother had
given her in her marriage portion, for
in old times girl was not fairly en-
dowed without a set of pewter with
King George III's crown stamped on
the bottom of each piece; SO my moth
er loaned me that set of pewter. /
spread my table with a clean white
cloth and those dishes as bright as sill
yer, baked good pile of puffy buck
wheat batter cakes,.a large platter OF
fresh venison steak, nicely cooked land
I do not think any woman can cook a
venison steak or any other steak better
than can) with Irish, potatoes, honey
right from the tree the day before, but
ter, fruit, sauce. etc. / tell you, Mr..
Editor, it fairly makes my mouth wat
er just to think of that dinner. When
all was ready I called my guests to
dinner with an old tin pan I had used
as gong; played on with my fingers q
rat a tat, tat. When my company
took their seats at the table my new
sister said, "Why, your dinner looks
NICE" and when she had finished she
said, ~ never tasted better dinner In
my life;;" and wasn't that comforting to
poor, lone old woman? And when
they were ready to go home, as help
ed the girls on their horses, my sister
said, az believe I should like to live as
you do. I think it is real nice;" and
wasn't it? And then to take our hooks
and lines and go few steps below the